1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automated warehouse, and relates more particularly to an automated warehouse including a plurality of article-storage apparatuses having a plurality of article-storage sections which are opened on a same side for allowing storage of articles respectively therein, a transfer apparatus movable along the open sides of the article-storage apparatuses for transferring an article between the storage apparatuses, a main conveyer for conveying the article, and a plurality of branching conveyers for conveying the article between the main conveyer and the transfer apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
With a known automated warehouse of the above-noted type, the main conveyer for carrying in the article comprises a roller conveyer having a number of rollers, and the carrying-in branching conveyers comprise chain conveyers having a rotatably driven chain.
That is, when an article conveyed by the carrying-in main roller conveyer has reached a location of a carrying-in branching conveyer corresponding to a target storage apparatus in which the article is to be stored, the conveying operation of the article by the carrying-in main roller conveyer is temporarily suspended and then the chain of the branching conveyer is rotatably driven to lift up this conveyer so as to scoop up the article on the main roller conveyer by this branching conveyer. This is a first type of automated warehouse.
A second type of automated warehouse is also known in which both the carrying-main main conveyer and the carrying-in branching conveyers comprise roller conveyers having a number of rollers, and further the branching conveyer branches the path of the article in the forward direction with diagonal inclination relative to the conveying direction of the carrying-in main roller conveyer.
However, with the first type of automated warehouse, for allowing transfer of each article from the main roller conveyer onto the branching chain conveyer, the conveying operation of the article y the main roller conveyer needs to be temporarily suspended. With such temporary suspension of the flow of articles, the article carrying-in operation takes a long time.
Also, with the second type of automated warehouse, after receiving the article from the carrying-in main roller conveyer, the branching roller conveyer needs to convey this article with gradually changing its direction. Accordingly, this construction results in elongation of the branching conveyer, so that a certain distance needs to be reserved between the main roller conveyer and the apparatus storage apparatus. As a result, the construction requires a large installment space.